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The Children's Literature Choice List is a national book award that annually recognizes 150 children's books of excellence chosen from over 3000 children's books that our reviewers receive each year. Children's Literature, an international monthly newsletter of children's book reviews helps teachers, librarians, childcare providers and parents choose quality books for kids of all ages. In addition to exceptional writing, creative story lines (for fiction) and factual accuracy (for nonfiction and historical fiction), the criteria for selection are age-appropriate subject matter, fresh themes, new approaches to known stories and relevance to the lives of today's kids. In the category of books for children age three and younger, seven sets of books were named; among them is Dinosaur! by Peter Sís, a delightful imaginary bathtub adventure that is bound to appeal to kids (Greenwillow/HarperCollins); and Sail Away by Florence McNeil another bathtub adventure that imparts a good deal of Sailor terminology (Orca) and Daisy Says Coo! and Daisy's Day Out by Janet Simmons which brings kids the adorable adventures of Daisy, the duckling with big feet (Little, Brown). Thirty-six books were named in the picture book category for children ages four to eight, including the humorous Comes a Wind by Linda Arms White (DK Publishing) which takes sibling rivalry to new heights and Louie's Goose by H. M. Ehrlich (Houghton) features a young boy whose security blanket is a stuffed goose named Rosie. Mary Pope Osborne offers a delightful twist to a familiar tale in Kate and the Beanstalk (Atheneum) and those crazy cows in Click, Clack Moo Cows that Type (Simon & Schuster) by Doreen Cronin and illustration from Caldecott Honor artist Betsy Lewin will bring plenty of chuckles. In the young reader category, consisting of short books and picture books with more text than usual for children ages five to ten, thirty-five books were selected. They include the heartwarming and inspirational Virgie Goes to School with Us Boys by Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard accompanied by E. B. Lewis' wonderful watercolor illustrations and the amusing variant on familiar fairy tale by Virginia Hamilton The Girl Who Spun Gold (Scholastic). The exotic setting created by the Dillons is a visual feast, and Hamilton's colloquial retelling using lilting West Indian speech patterns make this book a great read aloud. For those who love nonfiction Douglas Henderson's Asteroid Impact (Dial) offers a plausible account of the demise of the dinosaurs while So You Want to Be President by Judith St. Goerge with illustration by Caldecott medallist David Small imparts plenty of juicy presidential tidbits with lots of sly humor in the illustrations, and Mary Cerullo fascinates readers with the facts in her book, The Truth About Great White Sharks (Chronicle). The group of longer books with more sophisticated themes for middle readers ages eight to twelve garnered thirty-five titles. Aside from the continuing adventures of Harry Potter, kids will also enjoy reading about spunky India Opal and her scraggly, stray dog in Because of Winn-Dixie (Candlewick) by Kate DiCamillo; cheer for the hero turtle who Phyllis Shalant makes so believable in Bartleby of the Mighty Mississippi (Dutton) and relish the continued exploits of Mary Alice in Newbery award winner Richard Peck's novel, A Year Down Yonder (Dial). There was plenty of good nonfiction for this age group including the splendid Sir Walter Ralegh and the Quest for Eldorado (Clarion) who unfortunately in the end lost his head. Our sixteenth president was the subject of two of our choices--Abraham Lincoln the Writer: A Treasury of His Greatest Speeches and Letters compiled by Harold Holtzer (Boyds Mills Press) which provides wonderful insights to the man and his times, and Picturing Lincoln: Famous Photographs that Popularized the President by George Sullivan (Houghton). Spellbinder (Holiday) by Tom Lalicki revealed a side of Harry Houdini that many most likely did not known and accompanied his fascinating story with a wealth of photographs, reproductions of posters, and interesting miscellanea. Twenty-seven books were named in the young adult category, including several accounts of the horrors of prejudice and war in Anne Isaacs Torn Thread (Scholastic), an account of life in a Nazi work camp and Forgotten Fire (DK Publishing) by Adam Bagdasarian which tells of the destruction of the ethnic Armenian community by the Turks, just prior to World War I. Among the many well known authors, readers will be eager to read are Jane Yolen and Robert J. Harris who created The Queens Own Fool (Philomel) which brings alive with distinctively drawn characters the reign of Mary Queen of Scots; Walter Dean Myers, who weaves a fine tapestry from the multifaceted life of Harlem with its shiny, shady and hazy ways in 145th Street Stories (Delacorte) and M. E. Kerr with her trio of oddball kids looking for love in What Became of Her (HarperCollins). Seven books were honored in the poetry category, among them were Mammalabilia by Douglas Florian, which features lots of silly word play (Harcourt); Stone Bench in an Empty Park by Paul B. Janeczko which introduces the reader to Haiku (Orchard), and Desert Song by Tony Johnston perfectly paired with illustrations by Ed Young to describe the sights, sounds and colors of this not so barren terrain (Sierra). To reach the "Children's Literature" web site for the complete Choice list, access www.childrenslit.com or send a self addressed stamped envelope to the address below. The Children's Literature newsletter is priced at $24 for 12 issues. To order by credit card or to inquire about other products, call 1-800-469-2070. Orders and inquiries also can be mailed to-Subscription Department, Children's Literature, 7513 Shadywood Rd., Bethesda, MD 20817. ###
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